Witkoff open to amendments on latest stalled Gaza ceasefire proposal

A US source closely involved in the mediation efforts to secure a ceasefire deal between Hamas and the Israeli government has said that progress towards a deal remains deadlocked

"At the current moment, matters appear stalled due to Hamas's insistence on rejecting the latest proposal put forth by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains firm in his hardline stance against any proposal that includes the term 'ending the war'," the source told The New Arab's sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

They added that efforts are currently focused on applying pressure to both sides and that Witkoff has expressed his willingness to introduce amendments to the wording of certain clauses - primarily the one concerning guarantees requested by Hamas.

However, the source clarified that any modifications would be limited to phrasing and wouldn't alter the content of the 13 clauses included in the latest proposal submitted by Witkoff.

The source also stated that "the only issue President Donald Trump has insisted on pledging, guaranteeing, and committing to, is that the truce continue for the full 60 days agreed upon in the proposal."

While Hamas had displayed concerns over Israel obtaining half the number of captives- its only bargaining chip - without achieving a concrete milestone like ending the war, the source explained that an agreement had nevertheless been reached to discuss a phased timetable for hostage transfers.

Under the plan being advanced, the Israeli government would receive eight living captives on the first day of the agreement, and two more on the fiftieth day. This part of the plan is still awaiting a response from Hamas.

The source emphasised that during discussions between Witkoff and Netanyahu, it had become evident that it is currently politically impossible for Netanyahu to agree to any deal that explicitly stated "ending the war" from the outset.

This is due to the implications such a clause would have for the future of his government and its ruling coalition, with Netanyahu reportedly telling Witkoff that his government would collapse on the very day he agreed to "end the war".